Therapeutic Vaccines of Hepatitis C Virus with Emphasis on DNA Vaccine

Abstract

Hepatitis C is a major cause of chronic hepatitis in developed countries. According to the World Health Organization, about 170 to 200 million people are infected worldwide with hepatitis C virus with 3-4 million newly infected patients annually. The approval of sofosbuvir drug by the FDA has led to new horizons ahead of non-atherosclerotic treatments in people with hepatitis C. Sofosbuvir is a NS5B(Non structural Protein 5B) polymerase nucleoside analogue inhibitor in a hepatitis C virus, which is consumed as a food. But sofosbuvir alone is not effective and should be given together with another drug such as a NS5A inhibitor. Although generic versions of sofosbuvir and other DAA(Direct Acting Anti-hepatitis C Virus) drugs are available now at cheap prices, finding patients is a major problem and treating is not enough for eradication, and a vaccine is required. Unfortunately, despite the considerable efforts so far, no vaccine has been developed for prevention and treatment of this disease. In this review, we tried to discuss the studies conducted over the past decade to develop vaccines for hepatitis C, with an emphasis on DNA vaccine.